Wine Reviews

For Canada’s 150th birthday this year, Castanet is featuring an Okanagan wine each week, celebrating the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine industry, including suggested food pairings and Canadian music artist to listen to while enjoying a glass. For current availability, consult the winery.

Wine: Athene, 2013 (red blend)

Winery: Burrowing Owl, Oliver

Why drink it? It’s not very likely that you’ll find a bottle of this on a random wine store shelf, but if you see it on a friend’s wine rack, ask to share. A blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, this is bright, bold, and intense. On the nose, close your eyes and search for a blackberry-raspberry pie fresh out of the oven. On a second sniff, peppery spices. A first sip will bring out ripe, almost juicy flavours of dark plums, cassis, and a bit of coffee. This is a complex red blend that has been carefully created, aged in a mix of oak barrels (French and Hungarian), and if you can wait a few years, will become more intriguing with age.

Price: $35

Pair with: The aspiring chef will want to source some game, such as venison, and a recipe for a berry-infused demi-glace, suggests the winery. For the rest of us, a beef stir-fry with a nice spice mix and plenty of peppers will be a delight.

Classic CanCon music pairing:The Field Behind the Plow, Stan Rogers

Have a wine you'd like to suggest? Contact us at [email protected], and we will put you in touch with our wine writer.